Apple News Faces FTC Scrutiny Over Alleged Bias

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has voiced worries that Apple News may be favoring left‑leaning outlets while sidelining conservative voices. In a formal letter to Apple’s CEO, the FTC chair outlined that:

• The agency cannot compel companies to adopt any political stance or organize news by ideology.
• However, if Apple’s practices diverge from its own terms of service or from what users reasonably expect, they could constitute a violation of the FTC Act.
• The FTC Act prohibits unfair or deceptive practices—any misleading representation that could influence consumers is forbidden.

The chair, a Republican appointed by presidents from both parties, has leveraged the FTC’s authority to tackle perceived censorship. He cited studies showing recent Apple News feeds contained no content from conservative‑leaning U.S. outlets while promoting many pieces from liberal sources.

Apple News aggregates stories from newspapers, magazines, and online publishers, then arranges them into a personalized feed for millions of readers. These findings raise questions about the platform’s fairness, transparency, and alignment with consumer expectations.

Apple has yet to respond to requests for comment. The chair also suggested that tech firms be examined for potential misrepresentation of users or suppression of conservative speech, and for the impact of advertising withdrawals over content concerns.